Vladimir Tatlin

Tatlin, Vladimir (tätˈlyĭn) [key], 1885–1953, Russian painter and sculptor, known as the Father of Russian constructivism. After graduating (1910) from the Moscow Academy of Fine Arts, he traveled to Paris where he was so influenced by Picasso's reliefs that he became a sculptor. After the Russian Revolution, Tatlin produced art that remained abstract but was more politically oriented. His most famous piece remains his monument to the Third International (1920, Moscow), a 22-ft-high (6.7-m) iron frame on which rested a revolving cylinder, cube, and cone, all made of glass. He also is noted for his costumes for stage productions, such as Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman (1915–17).